Voices Suppressed

Voices Suppressed

Women’s Situation in Afghanistan

“I want my daughters to be respected as human beings; that’s the country I’m fighting for.”

-Fawazia Koofi[i]

When Taliban’s authority was established in Afghanistan in 1960, a downward spiral began that blemished the lives of Afghan women. Later on, the collapse of the Taliban 20 years ago appeared to pave the way for an optimistic future. For two decades, Afghan women and girls were able to envision and live life on their own terms. However, with the Taliban's quick code to grab power in a matter of weeks, the women's vision seemed to be more improbable. It seems that history is bound to repeat itself.

Image source: RTA Documentary Channel, available at https://rtd.rt.com/stories/afghanistan-before-and-after-the-taliban/

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were not permitted to work, girls were not allowed to attend school, and if women had to step out, they needed to cover their faces and be escorted by a male relative and under the stringent interpretation of Islamic law. Women who violated the restrictions were sometimes humiliated and publicly beaten by the Taliban's religious police.[ii]

If the precedent set up by Taliban or the past doesn’t speak for itself, the recent reports that have been coming from Afghanistan clearly point towards the Dark Age. There have been various reports stating that Taliban is making a list and going door to door looking for unmarried women aged between 14 and 45 years to marry off to Taliban militants.[iii] The offer of “wives” is a strategy aimed at enticing militants to join the Taliban. This is sexual enslavement, not marriage, and forcing women into sexual slavery under the pretence of marriage is both a war crime and a crime against humanity. Women have been the victims of targeted beatings, killings and rape as well.

Even though Taliban has reassured that women would be treated well, they won’t be discriminated against, their rights would be honoured, they would even be permitted to work and study, the Islamic law and framework makes these promises sound way too vague. It’s yet to be seen what they actually mean when they say “according to Islamic Law”.[iv] All of this just reeks of publicity stunts and false assurances. There have already been many reports where women are being subjected to barbaric acts, instilling terror in hearts of women.

The new Taliban ruled Afghanistan has not only posed to be a threat to women but also has been violative of their fundamental rights. Taliban has proved that its thinking is barbaric and will remain so. Where more than 45 per cent population of Afghanistan consists of females, there is not a single female minister in the cabinet. The message is very clear and certain – women should restrict themselves to giving birth, giving women the responsibility to be a minister is like “you put something on her neck that she can’t carry”.[v] Women are no longer seen as equal to men, in the most recent crackdown, women were being whipped by the Taliban when they decided to protest for their rights.

Even after being secluded to the margins, such harsh distinctions have been made between men and women, not just between adults but even as children, where all possible attempts are being made to keep young girls away from boys by segregating the classrooms using curtains. Furthermore, adult women have been made so dependent on their male counterparts that they are not even allowed to leave their home alone. One of the purest creations of the afghani culture originates from its music – but the Taliban has banned music and female voices, not only this but women have also been forced to leave their jobs and sit at home inside their 4 walls,[vi] for the two crimes they have committed, firstly being born a woman and secondly being born in Afghanistan. In the 21st century when we talk about equality, when we have women reaching new heights of success, there is a country where thousands of women are living in suffocation, pain and agony.

Mullah Abdul Baradari, co-founder of Taliban is being featured in the Times magazine, in the 100 most influential people, among several famous personalities.[vii] As a world what have we done? Instead of helping Afghanistan to get back on its feet, all we managed to do was to give the Taliban undue recognition. Both women and their rights are at peril and their future uncertain. Very recently, the new Taliban-appointed chancellor has indefinitely barred women from attending Kabul University, the premier educational institution in Afghanistan, stating, “Islam first.” In the 21st century, we are going backwards in time and all of this begs the question of what the International Community needs to do to ensure that the women and girls of Afghanistan are not abandoned and their rights are not snatched away.

--Written by Tanvi Garg, (2nd Year)

[i]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/17/fawzia-koofi-targets-afghan-presidency [ii]https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/back-to-old-ways-taliban-forcing-women-to-marry-terrorists-give-up-their-jobs/articleshow/85300503.cms [iii]https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/taliban-asks-for-list-of-girls-widows-to-be-married-to-their-fighters-reports-101626413987086.html [iv]https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210817-taliban-say-afghan-women-will-be-allowed-to-work-and-study-according-to-islamic-law [v]https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/women-should-give-birth-they-cant-be-ministers-taliban-spokesperson/articleshow/86090247.cms [vi]https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/women-work-men-stay-at-home-taliban-mayor-kabul-afghanistan-1854691-2021-09-20 [vii]https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/taliban-leader-mullah-baradar-on-time-s-list-of-100-most-influential-people-of-2021-101631718094302.html